This: “One reason I worry is that I frequently speak with people who interact with the White House, and when I say, “That place just doesn’t seem to work,” they don’t defend it, they offer off-the-record examples of how poorly the government is run.” And this: “I have to say, I’ve never worried about this with any previous administration, ever.” Incompetence

Living the high life on the rest of our dimes. “D.C. residents are enjoying a personal income boom. The District’s total personal income in 2012 was $47.28 billion, or $74,733 for each of its 632,323 residents, according to the Office of the Chief Financial Officer’s Economic and Revenue Trends report for November. The U.S. average per capita personal income was $43,725. The highest of the 50 states, Connecticut, fell 25 percent short of D.C.” D.C. far outpaces nation in personal earnings

Digging for more answers. “What is key is that that dozens of Agency, governmental, and military personnel around the world would have been aware of the exact nature of the attack as it was occurring, yet, save for officers at the Annex and in Tripoli, they apparently did nothing!” Left to Die in Benghazi

From the comments: “Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.” “Some years ago, Jonah Goldberg wrote a bestseller titled Liberal Fascism. If you think that title is an exaggeration, read the book. Or just watch what liberals are doing to those who oppose same-sex marriage. In the name of tolerance, the Left is eroding liberty in America.” Coercion in the Name of Tolerance

Under the Obama regime, resistance seems to truly be futile. “Don’t cry for the insurers, Argentina. I’m not saying they don’t have it coming. But it is a rather significant development in the history of the United States for the government to undertake such blatantly lawless action while eliciting so little resistance.” Adventures in administrative law

“And the irony still continues. Whereas the immigrant senses the fact that millions of people seek northward passage, while almost no American citizen seeks to immigrate southward — wealthy retirees excluded — the ethnic industry apparently does not. The advocates of illegal immigration almost never explain why there is illegal immigration in the first place. Instead, their politics assumes resentments and claims against the majority culture and politics of the United States. Given that incoherence, it is no wonder that the majority of Americans oppose illegal immigration and the assorted amnesties that are offered as its remedies.” Resisting Immigration Reform

Sure sounds like a BIG WIN for the Democrats. “It reduces social capital; It will cost trillions, reducing resources; There will be an increase in ethnic politics; Displacement of low-income neighbors; Amnesty will depress wages; Employment will decrease amongst low-skilled domestic labor; There will be another wave of illegal immigration; Mass immigration and amnesty will lead to greater class division; The gap between the rich and the poor will increase; Amnesty will exacerbate racial/culture divisions; Entitlement costs and eventually taxes will increase; The existing school system will be overloaded.” 12 Reasons Why Amnesty Will Hurt Low-Income WorkersHat Tip: Ace of Spades HQ

Freedom. “The injunction granted in Brooklyn is but one skirmish in what has been a long legal war. But it is encouraging to see that in this case, as in others, there are judges who still value freedom more than a belief in the power of big government to impose its values on the people.” Religious Liberty Triumphs Over OCare

Unreal. “A leading Saudi prince demanded a place for his country at talks with Iran, assailing the Obama administration for working behind Riyadh’s back and panning other recent U.S. steps in the Middle East.” Saudi Royal Blasts U.S.’s Mideast Policy

“Both these countries are longstanding US allies. That Israel and Saudi Arabia now share a common interest regarding Iran and Syria is not surprising. That they share a common concern about the word of an American president is ominous.” Even the Saudis make more sense on Mideast than Obama

More on Obama’s smart diplomacy. “But what is most infuriating about these developments is that none of it had to happen if the Obama administration had not mishandled relations with Egypt so badly. Though the hand it was dealt was by no means a good one, it is in the process of losing an asset that the U.S. had been able to count on for decades. The price of this incompetence will be felt by U.S. policymakers as well as the people of the region for years to come.” How Obama Is Losing Egypt to Russia

Insurance companies reap what the sowed in the first place. “The obvious fall guys for the Obama administration are the insurance companies. These firms have never been popular, but they bought into supporting the new law because it promised them 20 million new enrollees on the exchanges, with a public utility model that ensured a certain level of profit for the new policies. The companies are now learning that they are not independent players anymore, free to set prices and conditions for coverage that are consistent with the law that was passed and for which they, unlike the administration, had planned. They are, it seems, now at the whim and mercy of a politically deflated president who needs the insurance companies to change their way of doing business from month to month — this time to prevent a January rollout fiasco when coverage is scheduled to begin for those who have supposedly signed up.” Obamacare: A Law or a Shakedown?

Cowards. “Articulating my sympathy for the insurance companies is difficult without the accompaniment of the world’s smallest violin. But, still, I have to wonder, do those running these firms have no backbone whatsoever? I understand that the insurance companies have been consolidating into de facto utilities for decades. But they at least once mustered some passion for defending their status as private enterprises. Sure, they have obligations to shareholders, but their obligations do not end there. Can’t one of them resign on principle and speak up? Or are their mouths so stuffed with gold that they couldn’t get the words out even if they tried?” Obamacare’s Silent Insurers

This: As Americans realize they must pay for all non-emergency medical care when they leave their home county, their decisions may have a profound impact on the real-estate market, particularly the second home sector, and on the travel business. And this: “I have 35 years in the industry, and I’ve never seen anything like this,” the New York insurance broker told me. “ObamaCare is a rolling disaster. Every time we go down the road, we get hit with another catastrophe.” ObamaCare May Devastate the Real Estate and Travel Industries

You’ve got to see it to believe it. “Yesterday, the administration’s pro-Obamacare campaign jumped the–no, wait, you can’t say that anymore. It went around the bend. Over the top. With this ad, tweeted by OFA, President Obama’s permanent campaign organization.” Pajama Boy Sweeps the Internet

Watch the video! “If the GOP and its allies have any intelligence at all, this ad had better make an appearance in those races. In fact, it should make appearances against non-incumbent Democrats, too, just to remind voters that the alternative will be to send more rubber-stamp officials for Barack Obama. In 2013, “you can keep your plan” is the (belated) Lie of the Year. It will be the Argument of the Year in 2014” Video: Will this ad be Democratic Kryptonite in 2014?

The hope is gone. “He made so many promises. We thought that he was going to be – I shouldn’t say this at Christmastime, but – the next messiah. And the whole ObamaCare, or whatever you want to call it, the Affordable Health Act, it just hasn’t worked for him, and he’s stumbled around on it, and people feel very disappointed because they expected more.” Barbara Walters on Obama: ‘We Thought He was Going to be the Next Messiah’

Moderation. “In any event, my main point is that today–especially among those who claim fidelity to the Constitution and its authors and architects–the idea of compromise and moderation is held in contempt. The problem is that this attitude is at odds with the Constitution and the Federalist founders. To position conservatism as for all intents and purposes hostile to compromise and moderation is, I think, an act of philosophical and historical disfigurement, and unwise politically.” Compromise, Moderation, and the American Constitution

We’ve got a terrific line up for our annual Christmas program. First up will be the Ignite Barbershop Quartet. Ignite began singing together after a quartet matching party in November 2015. They are all Champion members of Region 21’s Scottsdale Chorus and they will be singing for us!

After lunch, Congressional District 6 congressman, Representative David Schweikart, will talk to us about what’s happening in Washington DC, and provide us with a status of the Tax Bill working its way through the House of Representatives and Senate.

Finally, member Julia Graham will install our new 2018/2019 officers. We look forward to seeing you and be sure to bring a friend or two or three!